The Future Piper Feared
by Katie-The Dark Angel
Summary: This is a sequel to 'Because you're the on I love'. Piper is shown a future she doesn't like. Will she be able to change it? AxP
1. Chapter 1

This is a sequel to my first fanfic 'Because you're the one I love'.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks

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She floats down the hallway, careful to stay hidden in the shadows. Not that she really needs it, it's late and everyone have already gone to their rooms, probably fast asleep by now. She stops in front of a door, thinking about every good and bad thing that might happen if she tells her, if she shows her, but that's just the way it has to be. She knows she has to do it if the war is to be won by the right side and Atmos can't win without Aerrow. Cyclonia won't win either and the war will only continue for a really long time - too long. She puts a hand on the door in front of her and slowly slides through it.

The room she entered is empty except for a teenaged girl who sits on a chair; resting her head on her arms on the desk in front of her and a murmur can be heard from her sleeping form. The Oracle moves closer, her worries pushed away for a moment and a small smile appears on her face. She leans down to the sleeping girl and her smile grows when she hears what she's saying.

'_Maybe I should come back later. I don't want to disturb her dreams while they're good. She won't have many of them from now on.'_

She turns around and is about to move away when she notices a tear escape from the girl's eye. Her worries return immediately as she watches more tears run down the teen's cheek and listens to her voice turn from cheerful and happy to sorrowful and afraid. Deciding to wake her up, she puts a hand on the teen's shoulder and shakes it gently. The girl wakes up and murmurs something inaudible, the dream still in her mind. Her eyes widen as they land on the ghostly figure standing over her and she quickly dries her tears. The Oracle smiles reassuringly to her and takes a crystal of the desk - the crystal that belonged to her only a few days ago.

"You're the Oracle!"

The teen is now completely awake and her carnelian eyes brighten up as she realizes who her visitor is.

"Yes, I am. There's something I have to show you."

"What you showed Aerrow?"

Her voice is full of excitement, but the Oracle's reply blows it away.

"No, that's not important anymore. By freeing me, he changed that but unknowingly changed his own fate as well. I'm going to show you something that you will think is worse than loosing the war and with that I will give you the chance to prevent that from happening."

'_He freed me, it's the least I can do for him.'_

"But he told me that the future is better now."

The fear she feels can be heard in her voice and she wraps her arms around herself in uncertainty.

"I know he did and that's one of the reasons I'm here. I'm going to help him keep his words. Come on, you need to see this. You're the only one who can change it, like he was the only one who could free me."

She reaches out her hand towards the confused teen and pulls her off the chair. The crystal in her other hand starts to glow brightly and a second later the teen's room has disappeared and another place appeared instead.

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At the same time in Cyclonia:

"Where's my crystal?"

The girl's cold voice makes the bowing man behind her start shaking with fear for what she might do when he answers her. He tries to say something, anything, but the words won't come. He just stares at the steps between them, unable to do anything else. Her anger and irritation grows with every second and she turns to face him. She knows that he failed her - again.

"I gave you a mission that I knew you couldn't fail and yet you manage to do so. How?"

He feels her eyes stare at him but does not look back at her. Finally finding his voice again, he stammers a few words.

"Th... The Storm Ha... Hawks. They found it fi... first and..."

She lifts up a hand to silence him. Her eyes narrow as she looks a bit to the side in thought. The Storm Hawks again. This had to be the Sky Knight's doing. He had taken away her chance to see the future and change it as she wished. There is only one solution to this. A small smile appears on her face as a plan begins to form in her mind. She knows exactly what she's going to do.

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I have actually nothing to say about it...

Cinderpool: Your rewiew on the prequel helped me choose which of my ideas to write ;)

Rewiew..


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2, the future the Oracle shows Piper. Enjoy...

The part written in _italics_ is where I focus on future-Piper, or just what present Piper sees.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks.

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Piper looks around her, not recognizing the surroundings but knows it's some sort of a terra - and a small one. As she looks back at the Oracle, the spirit only smiles sadly to her and motions for something behind the teen. A sound makes her turn around and she swears that she can feel her heart stop beating. She desperately forces herself to continue to breathe and runs towards two teens that sit on the ground, noticing three others standing close to them and a small creature on one of the teen's shoulder, a first aid kit in the hands of another.

"Aerrow!"

No one moves as she shouts and she hears the Oracle's whisper as she reaches the teens.

"They cannot hear you... They cannot see you... To them, you're just as invisible as the air around them..."

She falls on her knees in the dry dirt, her tears falling freely from her eyes as she stares at herself - her future self - sitting on the ground in front of her. The other Piper's tears fall as freely as her own do and she can hear her whisper to the teen she holds in her arms.

"_Please don't die. Don't leave me. I need you..."_

_Her uniform is already drenched in his blood that runs form a wound right beneath his ribs but she ignores that. The only thing that matters to her is to keep him alive. He weakly lifts his hand up to her face, trying to dry her tears but others immediately appear in their place. She tries harder to stop his bleeding by holding a cloth tighter to his wound, making his face become struck with pain._

"_You're not dying, I won't allow it."_

"_At least you're okay, that's what matters."_

_His voice is weak and he tries to smile. She shakes her head as he fails._

"_No, I'm not okay. I'll never be okay without you."_

"_I love you more than anything in all of Atmos, you know that, right?"_

_She nods at his confession, unable to say a word. She pulls him closer to her and buries her head in his shoulder as he puts his arm around her waist. They stay like this for a while, two lovers making the most of the last time they have together. Soon she feels his arm loose its hold on her and lifts her head, watching him as he closes his green eyes. She shouts his name over and over again, begging him to stay with her, to stay alive. There is no reply from the Sky Knight but she still denies the obvious fact. She lays him down on the ground and searches for a pulse. She finds none and her crying becomes even harder. She lies down next to him, resting her head on his unmoving chest and her hand grabs his shirt tightly. She allows a whisper escape from her lips as her teammates take a step closer to her and one of them bends down to her, placing a hand on her shoulder._

"_I love you too, more than you'll ever know."_

The watching teen cries just as hard as her future self, her face hidden in her hands as she says pleadingly to the spirit beside her.

"No... No... He can't die. Please, tell me this won't happen. This can't happen."

The Oracle looks at her, sensing her pain, and draws out the crystal. Again, it glows and a second later Piper finds herself on her knees in her room, the Oracle gone and the crystal back on her desk.

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Rewiew... 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3, enjoy...

Sorry it took so long. The teachers are drowning me in homework and that's besides for the tests their making me take. Hopefully, things will slow down a bit so I can update again soon.

Oh, and I'll update my other story as soon as I can too.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks

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The Condor:

Someone knocks on her door and the girl's head lifts up as a voice she knows all too well is heard from the other side.

"Piper, are you in there?"

She jumps on her feet as she wipes her remaining tears away and hurries to the door to open it. As soon as it opens, she throws herself at the teen in the hallway and wraps her arms tightly around his neck, her body still slightly trembling from the crying. The Sky Knight's eyes widen in surprise but that only lasts for a second and he puts his own arms around her, holding her even closer to him to calm her down.

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Cyclonia:

"Consider it done, master Cyclonis."

The man bows to his master, his right hand on his chest, and then turns around and exits the room. As he walks down the hallway, he allows a smile to appear on his face. This mission is not going to be easy but he will not fail her. Only one mission and Cyclonis' biggest threat will be gone. Only one mission and Atmos will soon be hers. And this time, he will show no mercy.

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The Condor:

"No! Why do you hate me?"

Stork tries to keep the ship in the air but nothing he does seems to work. For a moment, it looks like he's got it under his control again, but as he sighs with relieve the ship takes a dive, heading straight towards the Wastelands.

"We're doomed."

"Stork, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to keep us _away _from the Wastelands, Finn."

"Then why are we..."

"Just get the others and tell them I need some help here. Now!"

"Fine, fine..."

Finn starts to make his way towards the communicator system but stops when his leader's voice his heard behind him.

"Stork, what's wrong?"

He enters the room with Piper close behind, both holding onto everything they can find for support as they try not to fall down.

"If I knew then we wouldn't be heading towards our doom right now."

Along with fear of a painful death, irritation can be heard in the merb's voice. Holding tightly onto the table, the Sky Knight turns to the girl next to him.

"Piper, find a terra we might be able to land on."

She nods as she moves around the table. Stork manages once more to steady the ship and she uses her chance to run to the window, where crates, her charts and other various things lie in a heap against the window. A sudden jerk from the ship makes her loose her balance and she falls down on the floor, sliding the rest of her way.

"Piper, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

On her knees, she grabs the first map she finds, hoping it's the one she needs. After a quick look at it, she smiles and looks up at the pilot not so far from her.

"Turn right, there's a terra close by."

"Right..."

His hold on the Condor's controls tightens as he turns the ship, his eyes closing in hope for it to work. One eye opens again, slightly, the pilot not daring to fly without seeing where he's heading. A terra appears in front of the ship as it turns towards it, the ground closing fast. Trying to land without damaging anything, Stork pulls the controls but the landing is rougher then he wanted. As the ship connects with the ground, the two humans fall from their places and join the third on the floor, the merb the only one who's able to keep his balance.

"Everyone okay?"

The Sky Knight stands up quickly, his green eyes looking around for his friends. A pair of blue eyes meets his and he smiles at the sharpshooter's slight annoyance.

"Ah, yeah I'm fine. Where are we anyway?"

The three of them turn their attention to the navigator at the window; the girl's back the only thing they see. She doesn't move, not even when the door is opened and Junko's cheerful voice fills the room, asking the same question Aerrow did but in a different manner.

"Hey, are you guys alright?"

His only reply is a happy sound from Radarr as the little creature climbs up to Aerrow's shoulder. Piper finally frees herself from the view outside, a strange feeling growing inside her. She walks to the table and puts the map on it, pointing with her finger on a very small terra with no name written next to it.

"We're here."

Her voice is completely clear of any feeling, as she tries not to give away her thoughts. The Sky Knight looks at her, is mouth open slightly as if to ask her something but he decides against it and turns to Stork instead.

"Stork, try to find out what's wrong with the Condor here, we'll go outside to see if the landing did any damage."

The pilot's yellow eye twitches at the thought of leaving the Condor's safety and he thanks Atmos in his mind that he's not one of those who are. He turns to examine the controls as the door opens and closes again behind him, the other Storm Hawks leaving him alone on the bridge.

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The Storm Hawks walk down the ramp, a flashlight in Aerrow's hand for the sun's beams do not reach easily down to the ground. They had landed in a deserted area, dark forest surrounding it except where the ground ends at the edge of the terra. Intentionally, Piper walks slower then her friends and does not look at the damage with them but instead lets her eyes wander around the terra. She had not been sure before but now she is. She turns around, her amber eyes loosing all their brightness as the realization hits her. She knows this terra; she had been there the night before watching her friend, her Aerrow, die. She had not told him about it and now she feels like she never can. Her eyes lock themselves on the Sky Knight as smile appears on his face and she knows she could not tell him that she had lead him to the place where he was to die on.

'_Why didn't I just tell Stork to turn left? There is a terra there too, just a bit further. Now his death... will be my fault...'_

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	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Yay, finally an update! Sorry it took so long, I'll try to update sooner. I already have the next chapter partly written so it shouldn't take me too long... Hopefully... Anyway, enjoy the chapter

"**Radio"**

Disclaimer: I do not own the Storm Hawks

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With the Dark Ace:

A red cruiser takes off and flies towards the border of Cyclonia, the sound from the engine the only thing that's heard. On the bridge, Talons run around, trying to follow their commander's orders that all lead to one thing: Finding the airship known as the Condor.

Through the windows, dozens of Switchblades can be seen flying around it, the riders waiting for further instructions. As soon as the ship crosses the border, the Dark Ace turns to the Talon next to him; blood-red eyes shine with determination to succeed.

"Tell them to search the skies. I want the Condor now!"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

The Condor:

"Well, it could've been worse. Only a few scratches, we'll fix them in no time."

The red-haired teen moves his green eyes away from the girl's carnelian ones and looks around the bridge for the merb.

"How are things in here, Stork?"

The pilot looks away from the controls and at the Sky Knight as the latter walks in with Radarr on his shoulder, Piper beside him and Finn and Junko behind them. Slowly, he stands up from kneeling on the floor and walks over to them as they sit down around the table; a list of possible disasters starts to form in his mind.

"The controls are broken. They need rewiring among other things. We're lucky we managed to get here before they stopped working completely. Not that I actually think this terra is safe."

"How bad is it?"

"Depends on what you call bad. Personally, I think it's..."

At that point, Piper stops listening. She watches her Sky Knight try to calm the overreacting pilot down, his confident smile never leaving his face, and then she closes her eyes for a moment.

"Is there a possibility that we can fly to the next terra now?"

She whispers her thought pleadingly, her eyes looking for reassurance in Aerrow's as she opens them. A slight worry appears in his eyes as he turns from Stork to her and puts his arm around her shoulders.

"That will only mean a slow and painful doom for us 'cause we'd-"

"We get it, Stork. Piper, is everything alright? I mean, you just said it yourself outside; nothing probably lives here so there shouldn't be anything that we need to worry about, right?"

"Maybe she's afraid of the dark. I mean, it's pretty dark outside now, imagine how it will be when the sun sets."

The sharpshooter looks at her, a grin on his face that grows a bit bigger as she turns to him, shouting.

"Finn! I'm-"

"As much as I'd like to believe that nothing lives here, I just don't. Think about everything that could sneak up on us tonight; Giant Zombie-Spiders, Poisonous Mosquitoes, bloodthirsty Vampire-birds... "

Stork's eye twitches and he lets them dart around the room. Feeling a bit uneasy, Junko tries to join in on the conversation.

"Uh, guys, can we not talk about stuff like this right now."

"Finn, of course I'm not afraid of the dark, and Stork, I promise, nothing lives here. Nothing _could_ actually live here anyway. There's no water and as far as I know, nothing can survive without water."

"As far as you know... Then how come there are trees here?"

The merb's eye twitches again, not buying Piper's comment.

"Uh, they... Well... Oh, fine, have it your way. Can we just fix the Condor now so we can get out off here?"

"I'm with Piper on that one."

"Me too. Stork, how long do you think it will take to fix things?"

"A week, maybe two," the merb answers flatly and without hesitation.

Noticing the dejected look that appears on the navigator's face, Aerrow looks at Stork.

"Are you sure we can't repair it quicker?"

"Well, it might take only about two days to get her in the air again but-"

"Great, then let's get started!"

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

The Cyclonian cruiser: 

"Commander. The Condor was seen on a remote terra east from here. What are your orders?"

Silence fills the room as the Dark Ace decides his next move, his back turned to the Talon.

"Tell everyone to return to the ship immediately except for the one who found the Condor. I need him to keep an eye on it if they decide to leave the terra."

The Talon salutes and turns to leave when his leader's voice is heard once more.

"Oh, and make sure our ship is kept hidden. I don't want any Sky Knights to mess with our plans."

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

The Condor:

"See! That's exactly what happens when you don't listen to me!"

The merb's eyes twitches as he watches his friends enter the bridge, tired and bruised after their fight with... whatever those creatures were. Piper frowns at his statement, but Finn smiles inwardly. He loves it when she's wrong. She opens her mouth to say something, but decides against it and walks over to the window, watching the sun steadily lower itself. She's too tired to bother defending her words from earlier that day.

"What were those things anyway?"

The pilot simply stares at Finn, wondering how he could still be alive without knowing about any disaster _at all_.

"Red Snakediles, known for being able to eat a full-grown man in one bite. Seriously, Finn, you need to read more."

"Nah... Why do that when I can just ask you guys whenever I need to know something?"

"Hey, at least we're all okay, that's what matters."

The teen at the window smiles slightly, thinking it's so like Aerrow to- Wait, what did he say? Why does it sound so familiar?

"_You're not dying, I won't allow it."_

"_At least you're okay, that's what matters."_

Her hand flies up to her mouth and her eyes widen. Would Aerrow die trying to save her? She shuts her eyes tightly as she remembers the promise he gave her; his voice echoes in her mind as determined as the day he said those words.

"_I swear I will not let anything bad happen to you, ever."_

She pushes the thought away before she can remember anything more, thinking instead of what she can do to keep him safe and alive. She knows she could never live with herself if she messed up and Aerrow would die because of that. Opening her eyes, she watches his reflection in the glass and holds back the tears that threaten to run down her face. Coming to a decision, she whispers, even though she knows no one hears her.

"I won't let anything happen to you either, I promise."

She turns from the window and leaves the room, heading to her own.

-- --

(Few minutes later)

Grabbing her bag from the floor, she eyes the small pile on her bed, going over the mental list she made. Finding everything she might need to be there, she starts to put the things into her bag - extra clothes, few crystals, her staff and so on - hoping everything would fit. If it would, then the only thing she has left to do is to tell Aerrow what she's planning to do; a conversation she is not looking forward to.

A knock on the door makes her stop and the redhead's voice makes her drop the bag onto her bed. Speak of the devil...

"Piper, dinner's ready. Finn and I made pizza."

Her stomach growls and she hesitates. She is hungry but seeing what is still left on her bed, she quickly replies.

"I'm not hungry right now. I'll just eat later."

Out in the hallway, the Sky Knight stares at the door in silence, his mind racing to figure out Piper's strange behaviour. Inside the room, the specialist believes he's gone and turns back to the pile on her bed.

"Can I come in?"

The specialist jumps in surprise but then sighs.

"Sure, the door's open."

He opens the door and steps inside.

"Piper, what's wrong? You've been acting so stra... Are you going somewhere?"

Noticing the half-full bag on her bed, he moves to stand next to her. She looks at him for a moment and then lets herself fall onto her bed, her back against the wall.

"I just don't know what else I can do, Aerrow..."

A bad feeling makes itself known inside the redhead and almost heartbroken he sits down next to her, leaning forward, his arms resting on his thighs.

"If it's about our relationship... I mean if you-"

He's cut off by a hand on his shoulder and he allows her to turn him towards her.

"Aerrow, I swear that's not it. I don't want to change that one bit. I love you. I'm just afraid that... if I stay, you might... die..."

She looks away, her hand dropping onto the bed between them. He moves backwards, leaning against the wall beside her and lifts his hand to her chin, making her meet his eyes.

"And you think that leaving the Storm Hawks - leaving me - will keep me alive?"

She opens her mouth to answer but hesitates, having second thoughts about her plan.

"I just don't know what else I can do," she repeats after a moment of silence.

"Well, you could start by telling me why you think I might die," he whispers to her softly.

There's another moment of silence between the two as the blue-haired teen tries to find the right words. She breathes in, slowly, and closes her eyes as she begins.

"The Oracle came to me last night and told me there was something she had to show me..."

As she tells him what happened, what she saw, he pulls her into an embrace, gently stroking her arm to try to calm her down. Few tears escape her closed eyes as she relives the night before and she grabs the front of his shirt tighter, comforting herself with his presence. She falls silent after telling him and he looks down at her.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"I didn't know how or if I could for that matter, especially not after we landed here. Aerrow, it was me who told Stork to turn right. If I hadn't..."

She trails off and moves her head, gazing into his green eyes. Staring back, he takes a minute to think. He really does not want to see her leave, even though she might come back after the Condor is fixed and flying in the sky again, so he forces himself to find a solution other than that.

"Are you sure this is that easy? I mean, this is the Oracle we're talking about; she used to live in the Forbidden City, remember? I'm not saying she tricked you or anything, just that maybe this isn't as easy as it seems to be."

"You mean... that the terra might not really have anything to do with... um, it?"

"Yeah. Well, it might in a way. Maybe it's supposed to be something like a warning or something. You know, telling us to look out for anything dangerous while we're here."

"That is possible..."

"**Guys, if you two don't walk through the kitchen door in 10, no, make it 5 minutes, Junko and I will finish what's left of that pizza!"**

They both jump in surprise and then laugh at the other's reactions.

"Come on, Piper, I'm pretty sure Finn's not kidding. We should hurry up before he carries out his threat."

They stand up and exit Piper's room, Aerrow's arm placed around her shoulders. As they near the door to the kitchen, Piper places a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you."

She moves from his hold and runs the few meters to the door, opening it as she shouts.

"Finn, that pizza better be on the table where it should be or so help me I will..."

Aerrow grins and walks into the room after her, hoping that what he had said to her will turn out to be true.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Later that night, when they are all sleeping peacefully in their rooms, an airship quietly flies past their ship. No alarm goes off to make its presence known to the team, the power being cut by Stork himself earlier that day so the Condor would not blow up as he rewired the controls.

The other ship's pilot signals his commander that the Condor is in view and in a surprisingly soft voice, said commander tells him to land on the other side of the terra. As his pilot follows his order, he leaves the room for the night, a smirk on his face.

This is too easy.

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